DES MOINES, Iowa - A handful of high-profile Republicans who may be eyeing the White House told hundreds of conservative activists Saturday that most Americans agree with their values, and insisted that opposition to the president's health care overhaul could help the GOP make historic gains in 2012.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, a tea party favorite, got the noisiest reception when she told about 500 people gathered in Des Moines that voters are ready to overturn the federal health care law and oust President Barack Obama during next year's election.
Charlie Neibergall, AP
Rep. Michele ...

Jerry Springer is known for his trashy daytime television talk show. But Springer's resume also includes stints as mayor, television news anchor and actor. I talked with him about everything from the political landscape of the country to his career to Sarah Palin.
In an interview with Howard Stern, you said we are a liberal country. If that's the case, why was the tea party so successful in 2010?
ZUMA
Jerry Springer, host of "The Jerry Springer Show" for 20 years, ran for Congress in 1970, was mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 and tried for Ohio's Democratic governor nomination in 1982....

Onetime maverick John McCain ties for the top spot as the most conservative senator in new rankings by the National Journal. Granted, he shares the billing with seven other Republican senators but it is still a far cry from his 2000 Republican presidential race when he was viewed as an unconventional alternative to George W. Bush.
McCain tacked right in 2008 during his presidential campaign, and stayed there in his successful bid for reelection to the Senate in Arizona. He chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in the national campaign and insists that he's always been an across-the-board cons...

Victoria Jackson sure loves to talk about politics.
The former "Saturday Night Live" star joined a panel called "Getting Started in Hollywood" at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. While some panel members, including Variety deputy editor Ted Johnson, doubted there was a widespread movement to suppress conservatives in Hollywood, Jackson disagreed:
"They just don't dislike Christians, they hate God," said Jackson, who later added, "You don't know how liberal it is, even the Christians are communist. ... Do you see me on TV? No. Do you see me in movies? No."
Ja...

Children of Germany take heart -- it may soon be perfectly legal to make noise.
Germany is so desperate to encourage people to have more children that the government is proposing a bill allowing citizens under 6 to laugh, shout and play at any volume.
Philippe Wojazer, AFP / Getty Images
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, is welcomed by children Dec. 10 in Freiburg. Merkel's party had sought to ban kindergartens from residential areas because they are too loud. But a proposed bill would exempt children from noise limits.
Germany is a land of many rules, especially about noi...

Hang out with some young conservatives and it won't be long before you find them talking about Ronald Reagan. This is noteworthy because anyone under the age of 22 was not even alive during Reagan's White House years, and those under 25 would not have any personal recollection of his presidency.
Reagan was popular with younger voters when he was president, which made sense. He was the aspirational candidate with big dreams who ran against a Democratic president who complained about "a crisis of confidence" and "a growing doubt" among the American people. So, it was easy for young conservative...

Who orchestrated the latest Planned Parenthood hoax, in which people pretending to be sex traffickers sought advice from clinic staff?
Her name is Lila Rose, and she's well known on both sides of the abortion debate. Although she's only 22 years old, she's been a high-profile member of anti-abortion circles for at least seven years.
Surge Desk has the facts about the young woman who founded Live Action, the group that made the Planned Parenthood video.
1. She thinks abortions "should be performed in public"
Rose voiced this opinion at the 2009 Values Voter Summit, where she was an invited s...